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Tonight we had two visitors at our house, Chris and Orion. These men are actors with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland but they have something else in common. They are the two actors that have just spent eight weeks on the road bringing the works of Shakespeare to children through OSF’s School Visit Program. Here is an excerpt from the OSF website: When a team of two actors visits a school, students see and hear works of Shakespeare and other great writers presented in ways that relate to their own experiences and engage their imaginations.

Chris and Orion have been friends of my daughter Alexandra for a few years now and before they left on the school tour they performed a short piece of their presentation for us. One could easily see how these two men could inspire students and make them excited about Shakespeare and theatre in general. They are both very personable and engaging and they breathe life into the works that they perform. How fortunate for our children that this experience is available!

Chris and Orion are on their way home this week… one to Los Angeles, the other to Portland. But before they depart, they will share some Cranberry Apple Pie with my daughter. I will leave you with a line that Chris wrote on our chalkboard on Alexandra’s birthday, “You doth teach the torches to burn bright.”

A few weeks ago I gave a pie to my neighbor Shirley. We sat and talked about a number of things, and I asked her about a young man that I’d seen visiting her. She told me that he was her grandson Chris – and that he’d just lost his dog and was taking it hard.

I don’t know much about Chris at all. But what I do know is that he and that dog seemed to be inseparable. Chris would drive around in his black car with the windows rolled down and the dog would be seated next to him feeling the air on his face.

More recently, Chris would just walk his dog slowly because the dog had become ill. It was sad to see his dog struggle, but still so nice to see them together. And I know just how much he misses his dog now.

He said some folks have said, “Get another dog!” But I don’t think they understand that it’s not “just a dog” that’s missing – it’s his best friend. And when you lose your best friend, you need time to grieve.

I brought Chris an Apple Blueberry Pie tonight in memory of his best friend. It is a small gesture but sent with love and understanding.